Cardinals Minor League Notebook: 7/25/17

(photo: Aledmys Diaz/USA TODAY Sports Images)

On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals system went 5-3. Player of the Day Aledmys Diaz went 2-for-4 including a two-run home run in Memphis’ 20th win in their last 24 games.

Results from games played Monday, July 24.

Memphis Redbirds 6, Las Vegas 51s 4

Aledmys Diaz (USA TODAY Sports Images)

Behind seven innings from John Gant and offensive production from the middle infielders, the Redbirds improved to 66-35, knocking off the 51s by a 6-4 final score.

Gant, earning just his second win to pair with five losses, allowed four runs on nine hits, but with no walks and two double plays behind him, the starter managed to limit the damage.

The Redbirds scored their six runs early and were done scoring by the end of the second inning. With a runner on and two outs in the first, shortstop Aledmys Diaz, our Player of the Day, hit a two-run homer, his second long ball with Memphis this year. Second baseman Alex Mejia had two hits in three at-bats, driving in a pair. The newest Redbird, left fielder Tyler O’Neill, went 0-for-3 but drove in one of the team’s half-dozen runs with a sacrifice fly.

Tuesday’s game: Luke Weaver (9-1, 1.91) vs. Salt Lake Bees, 7:05 PM Central time.


Tulsa Drillers 6 at Springfield Cardinals 4

The Cardinals couldn’t recover from starter Chris Ellis’s early struggles and fell to the Drillers on Monday by a 6-4 score.

Ellis was smacked around for nine hits over six innings, allowing four runs. The right-hander fell to 2-5 with the loss, but the game’s outcome could have been a lot different if the Springfield bats had taken advantage of the Drillers’ rough night in the field.

Tulsa committed four errors, but the Cardinals combined to go just 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 runners on base. Left fielder Anthony Garcia went 0-for-5 but was credited with two runs batted in. Right fielder Magneuris Sierra had two hits and a walk, driving in and scoring a run. Center fielder Oscar Mercado went hitless, but reached via an error and a walk and came around to score twice.

Tuesday’s game: Austin Gomber (4-7, 4.55) vs. Tulsa Drillers, 6:30 PM Central time.


Palm Beach Cardinals 3, Charlotte Stone Crabs 0

Danny Diekroeger (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

A two-out, three-run rally in the bottom of eighth inning lifted the Cardinals to a 3-0 win over the Stone Crabs.

Palm Beach center fielder Shane Billings started it with a two-out double. Right fielder Thomas Spitz drew a walk, and first baseman Chris Chinea cashed in with a single up the middle to break the scoreless tie. Third baseman Danny Diekroeger followed with a two-run double to deep center field, plating Chinea and Spitz to put Palm Beach up by three.

Cardinals starter Connor Jones lasted 4 2/3 scoreless innings before Ian McKinney twirled three one-hit frames through two outs in the eighth. From there, Ross Vance entered and recorded the final four outs of the night. Vance picked up his second win as a result of the Palm Beach rally.

Tuesday’s game: Mike O’Reilly (1-0, 2.25) at Tampa Yankees, 6:00 PM Central time.


Peoria Chiefs 7 at Bowling Green Hot Rods 4

Ryan McCarvel (St. Louis Cardinals)

Six runs across the final two innings led the Chiefs to a 7-4 win on the road against the Hot Rods.

Evan Kruczynski turned in a respectable start, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing three runs. Reliever Dewin Perez allowed a run over the next 1 1/3 innings before Yeison Medina fired two scoreless to wrap up the game. With the Chiefs scoring their runs late, Medina was the pitcher of record. The 24-year-old improved to 3-0 on the year.

Chiefs third baseman Danny Hudzina had four hits in five trips to the plate, doubling for the ninth time this season and driving in a pair of runs. Catcher Ryan McCarvel had a great evening in the batter’s box, hitting his 16th double and 13th home run of the season to plate three runs.

The Chiefs are off on Tuesday and will pack back up Wednesday at home, as they will host the Cedar Rapids Kernels at 7:00 PM Central time. Peoria’s starting pitcher will be Frederis Parra (1-3, 2.91).


Mahoning Valley Scrappers 5 at State College Spikes 1

Evan Mendoza (State College Spikes)

The Spikes couldn’t overcome a rocky start from Daniel Castano and dropped Monday’s contest, 5-1, to the Scrappers.

Castano, who was charged with his first loss in seven decisions, was roughed up for four runs – all earned – on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings. The Spikes’ bullpen followed with 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball, but the bats couldn’t come up with enough to recover.

Catcher Joshua Lopez went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the ninth, the only run of the night for State College. Third baseman Evan Mendoza had three hits, including a double and a triple to finish a home run shy of the cycle. Mendoza scored on Lopez’s RBI single.

Tuesday’s game: Sam Tewes (2-3, 4.11) vs. Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 6:05 PM Central time.


Johnson City Cardinals 4, Burlington Royals 1

Jake Dahlberg (Johnson City Cardinals)

The Cardinals put up four runs by the end of the fourth inning and held on to win by a 4-1 score.

Cardinals starter Johan Oviedo picked up his second win, pitching five innings of one-run ball. Three relievers handed the Royals following Oviedo’s outing, including left-hander Jake Dahlberg, who punched out four Burlington batters over two scoreless frames.

Half of Johnson City’s runs on Monday came on home runs. Catcher Julio Rodriguez hit his first long ball of the season in the second inning, and shortstop Irving Lopez launched his first career ball out of the yard in the third. The Cardinals added two more in the fourth, when third baseman Brady Whalen and left fielder Walker Robbins drove in their 19th and eighth runs of the year, respectively.

Tuesday’s game: Franyel Casadilla (0-3, 8.71) vs. Burlington Royals, 6:00 PM Central time.


GCL Nationals 2, GCL Cardinals 1

Noel De Jesus (St. Louis Cardinals)

The Cardinals put up a run in the top of the ninth inning, but Juan Evangelista’s two-run homer in the sixth remained just enough for the Nationals to hold on for a 2-1 win.

Cardinals starter Noel De Jesus turned in four scoreless innings. In his professional debut, eighth-rounder Wilberto Rivera followed with a scoreless fifth before Alex Fagalde was tagged with the two-run shot in the sixth.

For their one run of the day, Cardinals right fielder Sanel Rosendo picked up an RBI single. Second baseman Eliezer Alvarez doubled, one of his two hits, for the Cardinals’ lone extra-base hit.

Tuesday’s games: TBA vs. GCL Marlins, 11:00 AM Central time. The Cardinals and Marlins will continue a suspended game from last Thursday before beginning the originally scheduled contest.


DSL Cardinals 6, DSL Nationals 5 (10 innings)

It took 10 innings, but the Cardinals were able to grind out a 6-5 victory over the Nationals on Monday afternoon.

The Nationals jumped ahead, 5-4, in the top of the 10th inning, but they could not hold on in the bottom half. With the bases full, one down, and the game knotted at five – after William Jimenez scored on an error – left fielder Diomedes Del Rio drove in the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly.

Center fielder Carlos Soler had two base hits in five at-bats, first baseman Cristhian Longa walked twice and scored, and third baseman Pablo Gomez and designated hitter Victor Garcia both doubled.

Starter Jose Moreno lasted five innings, surrendering just one run despite walking four batters. Sloppy defense — to the tune of five errors — allowed the Nationals to get back in the game following Moreno’s departure.

With Cardinals relievers Cristoffer Zapata and Oneiver Diaz on the mound, the Nationals scored three times across the sixth and seventh innings. The Cardinals kept up with the Nationals, nonetheless, and ultimately came out on top.

Tuesday’s game: TBA at DSL Nationals, 9:30 AM Central time.


Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation: Gulf Coast League Cardinals Notebook: 2017 Week 4

Not yet a member?

Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

Follow Josey Curtis on Twitter @Curtis_Josey.

© 2017 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.